Aquaculture

Aquaculture is commonly known as aqua-farming under a controlled and semi-controlled environment. FAO (1988) defined aquaculture as ‘the farming of aquatic organisms, including fish, molluscs, crustaceans, and aquatic plants. Farming implies some form of intervention in the rearing process to enhance production, such as regular stocking, feeding, protection from predators, etc. Farming also implies individual or corporate ownership of the stock being cultivated’. There are various types of aquaculture practices commonly found worldwide, such as mariculture, fish farming in earthen pond, algaculture, integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA), Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS), Biofloc Technique (BFT), cage and pen culture, flow-through/raceway culture, In Pond Raceway System (IPRS), etc. Fishes are mainly reared in extensive, improved extensive, semi-intensive, and intensive conditions depending on the rearing species and culture systems. Aquaculture has recently been extended, diversified, and scientifically advanced worldwide. Currently, approximately 156.4 million tonnes of fish are used as food fish globally, where nearly 50% is supplied from aquaculture (FAO, 2020). The major portion of the fish is supplied by Asian countries such as China, India, Viet Nam, Bangladesh, Indonesia, etc. [Anwar Hossain]